Approximately a year after Israel left Egypt they arrived at Canaan's borders, the land God promised would become their country. At God's instruction, Moses sent twelve men into Canaan to "spy it out." These men were to examine specific regions of the area.
Their mission: find the answers to questions about Canaan. What was the land like? How populated was it? Was it good for agriculture? What fruits were there? Did it have trees? Were those living there weak or strong? Did they live in unprotected camps or fortified cities?
These twelve men were gone for forty days. They returned with samples of the land's fruitfulness. Their report: "The land is as agriculturally rich as God promised. However, the people are strong, and the cities are fortified. In fact, we saw descendants of giants there."
Caleb, one of the spies, said Canaan should be taken immediately. Ten spies said Israel could not possibly conquer Canaan because the people were too strong [wonder what they expected to see?]. To discourage Israel, these men said (1) Canaan was a demanding place to live, and (2) all the people who lived there were of enormous size.
The entire nation immediately sank into depression. That night tears of disappointment flowed [wonder what the nation expected?]. The next day, Israel began grumbling against Moses and Aaron. They made ridiculous statements: "I wish we had died in Egypt! [That is not what they wanted in Egypt!]. I wish we had died in the wilderness! [That wish would become reality!] The only reason God brought us here was to (1) kill us in battle and (2) make our wives and children captives! Would it not be better just to go back to Egypt?" They were so faithless and discouraged they seriously discussed appointing someone to lead them back to Egypt!
Moses and Aaron found Israel's attitudes so distressful that they publicly fell face down before the assembly. Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, tore their clothes [an expression of mourning], told the people that the land was incredibly rich, and God would enable them to have it. These two men begged Israel not to rebel against God, not to be controlled by fear, and not to regard themselves as captives. Why? The Lord was with Israel!
The assembly reacted with such hostility toward Joshua and Caleb that they wanted to kill them by stoning. Only the appearing of God's glory in the tabernacle stopped a faithless, ugly situation from escalating. Again consider God's angry reaction: "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they" (Numbers 14:11,12).
God knew He, again, had been rejected by the same unappreciative, faithless adults who build the gold calf! God had given them every reason to believe Him and trust Him! He had not asked for blind obedience! He acted first! They had ample reason to trust Him! Again, His solution was Israel's destruction and a new beginning through Moses.
Again, Moses acted as Israel's intercessor. Again, he appealed to God's nature, not Israel's deservedness. Moses said, "You and your reputation are the issue, not Israel's faithlessness." The core of Moses' appeal is contained in Numbers 14:13-19. In essence Moses said, "Many know about Your powerful deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It was Your strength--and only Your strength--that made their deliverance happen. Your fame is known in many nations because of Your deliverance and Your continued leadership. If you destroy Israel, people who know what You did for Israel will say, 'God slaughtered Israel because He could not keep His promise.' Even in this horrible situation, let Your power be great! Continue to forgive Israel just as You have in the past. Show the greatness of Your mercy!"
Moses acknowledged an understanding of God's nature that is unchallenged throughout scripture:
'The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations' (Numbers 14:18).
God's response to Moses was nothing short of incredible: "So the Lord said, 'I have pardoned them according to your word; but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord...'" (Numbers 14:20, 21). It should remind us of James' statement in James 5:16 "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
God declared consequences for this faithless rebellion. (1) All the adults [with two exceptions] would die in the wilderness just as they wished (14:28-30). (2) Instead of the children being captive prey as the adults feared, the children would enter Canaan (14:31). (3) For each day the spies spent in Canaan, the nation would live as shepherds in the wilderness (14:32-34).
This was powerful, key consideration in Moses' intercession for Israel: Your reputation among the gentile nations, God, is the primary issue; not Israel's faithless distrust of Your promises.
Note God's nature: (1) He does not get angry quickly; (2) His mercy is beyond comprehension; (3) His forgiveness is incredible; and (4) He holds the rebellious accountable when they reject Him because they fail to appreciate Him. Those qualities combine to declare God's holiness, a holiness in which there is no injustice.
Please take note of these three things: (1) Israel's faithless ingratitude insulted God. They rejected God's trustworthiness. They learned nothing from God's past kindness. (2) God's pardon was based on God's nature, not Israel's worthiness. (3) God's declared objective: to fill all the earth with His glory.
Thought Questions:
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 4